A Man's Best Friend (A Mavin One-Shot)
by Creativity's Loyal Servant
Summary: Gavin comes home with a stray puppy to their apartment and Michael throws a hissy fit about it. Somehow, the Brit managed to keep his new-found friend in their home despite Michael's reluctance. Watch their journey together through the years, and see how they make memories with a dog named Riley. A Mavin one-shot filled with fluff and some sadness. Rated T for Michael's swearing.


A Man's Best Friend

"Michael! Michael, are you there?!"

The British lad of no more than twenty-six burst through the door with a big grin on his face and a soaking wet leather jacket cupped in his arms. From the very top of his dirty blonde hair to his purple and white striped shirt to his navy blue jeans were drenched from the pouring rain outside. That, however, didn't deter the huge smile that crept upon his face as he kicked off his dripping wet red sneakers before letting out another yell for his boyfriend.

"Michaaaaael!" he yelled out as he shifted one of his hands to flick the messy locks of hair that stuck to his forehead. "Where are youuuu?!"

Eventually, the man's endeavors became a success as he heard a door slam open in the vicinity of the apartment followed by stomps of footsteps that became clearer with each step. And as the footsteps became more audible, cursing could be made out from all the angry plods upon the carpeted floor. Russet curls and a freckled face popped up from the doorway; an exasperated expression plastered onto the man's face.

"What the fuck is it, Gavin?" Michael hissed as he fully came out from the doorway; his blue shirt donning the logo 'Mogar is Ready' wrinkled up as he ran his hand through his unkempt hair in annoyance. "I was recording a fucking Rage Quit 'til you rudely interrupted me." He gave a piercing glare at his boyfriend; hazel eyes gleaming from behind a pair of spectacles.

But even still, Gavin still had his shit-eating grin on his face.

"You'd never believe what happened to me while I was out, Michael!" he exclaimed as he moved closer to the shorter man as he held the jacket closer to his chest.

"What?" Michael questioned sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "Did you actually win today's Minecraft Let's Play while I wasn't around? Because that would definitely be a miracle for you." He snorted.

"No, no, none of that at all!" he laughed before he stopped and rubbed his stubble covered chin. "But that would make my day even better."

"You fucking wish, Gav." The twenty-seven year old chuckled, before gesturing his hand at him. "So, what made you all so happy as shit?"

As an answer, Gavin presented the soggy jacket to Michael; bluish-green orbs sparkling with happiness.

"Gavin fucking Free…" Michael palmed his face in half-amusement and half-annoyance. "Are you telling me that you're happy you got your favourite and expensive jacket wet?"

Just as he was about to give him a lecture on how he wasn't going to pay for another jacket like that and the fact he only did because Gavin was his boyfriend, a furry golden head popped up from the nest of the leather with a small bark as it shook its wet head.

"See?" Gavin grinned as the golden spaniel licked his face rapidly, coating it with slobber. "I know that you hate cats and…" he faltered for a moment before casting his eyes away from his staring boyfriend. "Well, I found this pup in the rain! He looked so miserable in that drenched old cardboard box; I couldn't possibly leave the poor fella behind!"

And with that, the russet haired man buried his face in his hands before giving out an inaudible groan.

"Gavin…" he managed out as he grinded his teeth hard together. "Tell me… what do we live in?"

"Uh… an apartment?" he added an inflection to the last word; making it sound quizzical and confused, matching up with the blank look on his face.

"_FUCKING EXACTLY!_" The Rage Quitter shouted; his freckled face turned as red as a tomato; not of embarrassment, but of anger. "DON'T YOU FUCKING KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE PETS IN AN APARTMENT?!" he screamed, wringing his hands.

Gavin immediately blanched at his yelling boyfriend, backing up a little bit from the loudness of the noise. It wasn't exactly uncommon for him to start yelling like this; really, Michael was really just joking or trying to get a simple point across when he starts shouting his head off. The British lad moaned mentally from all the complaints that the residents had sent to him about the racket they caused [well, mostly Michael.]. The golden spaniel paid no mind to the screams, but instead continued licking Gavin playfully with loving eyes.

"W-Wait!" Gavin interrupted with a stutter, waving his hand at Michael to stop his rant. "I've talked to the manager; he says there's no problem! I swear!"

Michael stopped after a minute of yelling; his cheeks all rosy from the rage he invoked in himself and upon Gavin before letting out an irritated sigh. Resigning into sitting himself on the squishy couch, he flung a towel at Gavin's head; something that he always kept nearby because Michael knew that his boyfriend had the habit of getting himself caught in the rain often. The twenty-seven year old man closed his eyes as he laid his arms on the top of the couch, steadying his breaths from the little 'argument'. Even with his eyes shut, the freckled man can hear the soft pads upon the floor before the couch started to sag from the extra weight on the other end of the sofa.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments before Gavin broke the peace and calm.

"Sorry; I just thought it'd be nice to get a pet to keep us company, you know?" the Brit's eyes went down casted as he gently rubbed the puppy's head, which in turn nuzzled against his fingers.

With a sigh, Michael tackled his boyfriend with a hug; swinging his arm over Gavin's neck and tugging him closer to his side; making Gavin yelp in the process.

"You don't have to apologise, dipshit." He finally cracked a smile before ruffling the lad's damp dirty blonde hair. "Though you could have at least told me on your way home, asshole." He smiled before leaning in to kiss Gavin's forehead.

Laughter eventually developed into yelps from Gavin as the golden spaniel bit his hand a little bit too playfully, which caused a roar of laughter from the New Jerseyan. It wasn't after a few whines from Gavin that Michael decided to get up from the couch and get him a band aid.

This was going to be a _long_ night.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

"So… what should we name it?"

Michael looked up from the magazine he was reading while he laid on the sofa before giving a run over on the idea. Gavin sat on the floor next to the sofa's armrest, unconsciously fondling the puppy and scratching behind its ears. After a visit to the veterinarian and taking it for shots, [to which the spaniel was incredibly cooperative with that] they figured that after a week of trying to search for a possible owner who lost their pup, it was most likely a stray.

"I don't know… I'm fucking dumb at coming up with names, ya' know." the twenty seven year old man sighed before his gaze eventually drifted back to the contents of the magazine.

"How about 'Goldie'?"

If Michael had been taken his sweating cold Coke from the table and drank it while his boyfriend said that, he was pretty sure he would make a spray of carbonated liquid so big that it would have drenched the whole vicinity.

Instead, the russet haired man choked on a laugh as he quickly sat up from his position on the sofa.

"Oh my fucking God, Gav." He snorted out as he swiped away the tears that he forced out from his laughing spree. "That's a dumb name, even from you."

"Well, I don't know! I'm terrible at names too, ya' mong!" the British lad threw a book on the table to Michael's face, to which he easily dodged with another giggle.

"But in all seriousness…" the New Jerseyan leaned back on the leather couch before humming as he thought. "I'm not too sure either. How 'bout Riley or somethin'?" he shrugged before grabbing the can of Coca-Cola on the table to sip it.

Almost immediately, the Brit stopped all his actions as realisation filled his widening eyes. The shorter of the two almost thought that his boyfriend was about to have a stroke before the twenty-six year old leapt up with the pup in his hands and took him by the collar as he dragged him out of the apartment.

It was later after they got the branded collar name onto Riley's neck and bowl's that Michael slapped him upside the head for making him panic in the first place.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

"Oh my God, such an adorable little _puppy_!"

Sure enough, with Michael's prediction, everyone who saw Riley the golden spaniel in the Rooster Teeth office immediately fawned over how cute and precious he was. And there Michael stood; leaning against the doorway's frame as he rolled his eyes in mock annoyance as he watched Barbara, Kara and Lindsay fussed over the puppy.

"I told you, Gav. I _fucking_ told you." He mumbled to himself with slight irritation that didn't quite match the faint smile on his lips.

It was, of course, his boyfriend's idea to bring Riley to Rooster Teeth. Gavin figured there would be no harm in bringing the pup over to the office for a day; it's not like he would wreck the entire studio and Achievement Hunter office for it. And normally, when the British lad said things like this, Michael didn't really trust that. So he started off with a strong front; profusely refusing at that action, standing his ground.

It wasn't after several licks from the golden spaniel and puppy dog eyes from Gavin that his defense came crumbling to the ground.

And while the fact was confirmed that the women of Rooster Teeth would be found cooing over the bundle of golden fur, Michael was actually surprised that Riley hadn't caused such a ruckus or any sort of havoc throughout the entire day. Hell, even when Gavin stubbornly brought it into the Achievement Hunter office while it was time to record, Riley just sat there; her tongue sticking out as she quietly nuzzled against the Achievement Hunters' legs while they recorded Versus no. 56 with Michael and Ray. Through all of Michael's rage and the laughter of X-Ray and Vav as well as Geoff, there would be occasional comments about the golden spaniel, which made Gavin grin ear-to-ear through the entire recording session.

A single day of having the little puppy gamboling around the entire place eventually became a once a week visit. Sometimes, Riley would even be brought into the Podcast with the some of the Rooster Teeth gang. Gavin would normally have the little pup nestled between his crossed legs as he ruffled the golden spaniel's fur as he talked about his usual nonsensical topics. ["What if your legs… didn't know they were legs?" he once asked; which resulted into a pillow being thrown to his face by Barbara.] All the while, Michael just watched from afar as all the members began to grow especially fond of the stray they adopted as Gavin proudly produced Riley from his hoodie pocket each time he strolled into the office.

And that made the New Jerseyan quite jealous of the spaniel.

There were times where he wanted to actually just scout out another owner for the puppy; rip off the collar from the golden spaniel and hand it over to whoever was willing enough to take care of a dog; not someone who'd look like they wanted to torture and abuse the dog. As much as he envied Riley for getting more attention from his boyfriend than to him, Michael didn't think over the lines of kicking the pup or killing it; oh no.

That was way over the line.

So when Gavin found Michael all grumpy in their apartment as Riley tried to get on his lap, the Brit was absolutely befuddled.

"Michael..?" he asked as he took a seat next to the twenty-seven year old man. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The New Jerseyan huffed out, before moving his gaze to anywhere but Gavin and the puppy.

The British lad frowned; tilting his head in confusion as his eyebrows furrowed downwards.

"Michael… did you have a bad day recording Rage Quit again?" the Brit inched closer to the freckled man; placing his hand on top of the other's.

"Fucking no, Gavin!" Michael snarled as he jerked his hand out Gavin's grasp before turning his body to face away from the lad. "Leave me the fuck alone, could you? And while you do that," he jabbed a finger at the pup, which was currently lying on its back with all of its paws in the air. "Take the little fuck to your room too."

Almost immediately after the twenty six year old man processed that piece of information and blinked, his lips curved up to form a shit-eating smirk as he proceeded to lean extremely close into Michael's personal space.

"Oh, I see how it is, Mikey Wikey." Gavin wiggled his eyebrows in a knowing gesture before administrating all his weight upon Michael's lap. "You're jealous… aren't you?" he stated slowly as he poked his boyfriend's cheek playfully.

"Like fuck I'm jealous!" he snapped at him before whacking the dirty blonde haired man's hand away from his face. "You're just making shit up as it goes! And could you fucking get your ass off of me, you piece of shit?!"

Gavin simply smiled as he began to sink his elbows into Michael's legs, which caused said man to wince from the pain.

"Oh, really, Micool~?" the Brit quizzed once again; the same sly grin on his face as he twirled Michael's locks of curly hair.

With a noise of complete irritation and exasperation, the New Jerseyan instantly got up, which caused Gavin to slide off his lap and onto the floor with a shriek and a thud. In annoyance, Michael raised his arms in a mock surrender; eyes screwed shut from the frustration of it all.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" Michael shouted; face turning to a shade of crimson. "I'M FUCKING JEALOUS OF YOUR AFFECTION TO RILEY, OKAY?!" he admitted rather loudly; flinging his hands up in the air.

The pup responded at her yelled name with a questioning whine before she cocked her head to the side; the metal collar tinkling from that motion.

"Aw, come on, Micool!" Gavin picked himself up from the ground with a grimace before giving a pained grin at him. "It's not like I'll love you over the little puppy! Sure, the pup has been getting all my love and care for the past few weeks; that doesn't mean I don't love you, Michael!"

After several minutes of screaming and muffled pounding of the other tenants for them to shut the hell up, Gavin somehow managed to calm the raging man down and was forced to promise that he would never suddenly break ties with him. By then the tint of reddish pink had faded from Michael's face, leaving an uncertain frown etched on his face. That was soon erased by a tackle-hug from Gavin that was soon join in by Riley; licking both of her owners' faces. A loud laugh was let loose by Michael as he watched the pup pounce on Gavin's head and made a bird's nest out of it, much to Gavin's horror.

All was well again in the apartment of the Jones and Free.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

"You may now kiss the… uh… groom."

And as cheers and claps rang out in the air with the bouquet of white and red roses flung up as well, Michael and Gavin inched closer and closed the gap between their lips; sealing the marriage vow. Most of the women that sat through the entire process of the vow were tearing up; pulling handkerchiefs or tissues out of their purses as they wiped away the tears and cleared their noses. The men simply went up to the two and clapped them on the back with huge grins on their face; Geoff being the only exception to tackle Gavin to the floor as shrieks and laughter erupted from the two.

With all the drinking and celebrating finished by the late evenings, the laughter had eventually died down to the quiet music in the wedding as those who weren't drunk off their ass danced along gracefully. Those who laughed so giddily away as they drank their 10th glass of alcohol had a tint of pink coating their cheeks and their eyes unfocused on whatever was in front of them. During this time, Ray quietly sat in his spot, wheezing in silent laughter as he recorded the five Achievement Hunters hustled together and singing 'Mary had A Little Lamb'.

He'll save it for an RT Life to upload on their channel; the Puerto Rican thought as he tucked his camera back in his pocket and continued to sip his glass of water; what with his refusal of not drinking a single drop of alcohol.

Soon after everyone managed to stumble their way back home, Michael, who had Gavin piggy-backed on him, took at least two tries to insert the key in the lock before slamming the door open. The moment he deposited the drunken body of Gavin and forcefully shut the door with a bang and a click of the lock, out bounded Riley the spaniel, no longer a puppy, but a rather lean dog of the adolescence. Her paws emitted a soft thud upon the carpeted floor before halting in front of Michael, who had by now plopped himself on his newly wed husband's torso.

Riley stared up at her owners with curious eyes and a tilt of her head. Eventually, she decided to climb up onto the New Jerseyan's back, who voted on topping Gavin and wrapping his arms around his body like a big teddy bear. The spaniel eventually settled herself down after kneading her paws gently on the fabric of Michael's shirt.

When they finally woke up in the morning sober and sore from their hangovers, Riley greeted them with a playful lick on their faces before proceeding to retrieve the newspaper from the hallway; door already wide open as Gavin waited for their spaniel to enter the doorway before shutting the door again.

"Good Riley..." Gavin yawned out as he scratched the top of Riley's head before shuffling off to the smell of Michael making bacon and eggs.

The young dog barked once before trotting off to her own bowl of food and water, lapping the drink up first.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

The golden spaniel of five years bounded out from the car seat and out the door before sitting herself on the steps of their newly bought house; tongue sticking out as she panted from the heat. Gavin threw himself out of the car with a cheer before he walked up to their house with awe as Michael slowly got himself out with a smirk. The keys ring swung on the thirty-two year old man's index finger as he swiftly locked the car and nonchalantly strolled up to the door before handing the keys to his husband.

"I'm going to be nice and allow you to open the door to our new house. Be my guest." Michael smiled before slapping Gavin's shoulder a little bit rougher than normal. "Don't fuck it up."

With a hesitant shuffle to the varnished wooden door and a shaky insertion of the key through the hole, the door clicked open and creaked as it revealed the fully furnished living room. This was actually not their first time entering their new house as they had to move furniture to their new shelter and organize their stuff. [Michael had insisted profusely that he should be the one doing so because Gavin was a messy little fuck; as the New Jerseyan had put it.] But this; this was going to be the first time that they were going to stay in this household for, probably, the rest of their lives. And Michael, being the soft hearted guy he was under all the layers of rage and yelling, was going to give Gavin the opportunity to open the door to their new life.

The moment the door had fully opened up, Riley shot in before making herself comfortable on the dog bed that was seated at the side of the couch. Almost immediately after that, Gavin threw himself on the couch face-first with a yell, to which Michael immediately shook his head at the man's actions; not really matching the smile on his face. He took a seat on the arm of the sofa, before he started poking Gavin's back with his foot.

"Hey, you alive, Gav?" he stated, followed by another two pokes before his husband shifted onto his back.

"Isn't this amazing, Michael?" the Brit breathed out, locking gazes with Michael.

"What is?" Michael jokingly said as he raised his eyebrows. "The fact that you're married to me and that we can have sex all we want?"

"It's not just that, Mikey Wikey." Gavin closed his eyes before exhaling, chest falling as he did so. "Don't you feel glad that we finally can spend all our time together without pretending any like we did before?" he chuckled quietly, reminiscing in the time where they had childishly hid their relationship from the entire crew of Rooster Teeth, only to find that they didn't mind it one bit. "It's just you, me and good ol' Riley together in our new home. Innit' nice?"

Upon hearing her name, Riley poked her head from the arm of the sofa, resting her furry head on the armrest as she gave out a questioning whine and a slight tilt of her head; the familiar clink of the collar ringing out softly. That went unnoticed as Michael gave a small laugh before pulling Gavin by the hand, with a rather flirty and lusty expression on his face.

"Fuckin' right it's just the two of us." He whispered huskily in Gavin's ear before giggling and pulling him upstairs. "And I plan to make use of that right now."

And as the duo slowly made their way upstairs with craving desires, Riley decided that it was time to take her leave. With a huff, she made her way towards the dog door that her owners installed and exited the room before their little session began.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

Two children squealed as they chased the adult golden spaniel through the garden and into the living room. One of them had twintails coloured chocolate brown and the lightest bluish green eyes; freckles littering the girl's face as she gave a toothy grin before latching onto the golden coat of the dog. The other was a boy, just a year older than the girl; with light dirty blonde hair that framed his face with long curls that reaches to his shoulders. His eyes were a deep russet tone, sparkling in delight as he grasped the dog's tail.

"Ah, ah! Rachie! Graham! You just made a mess in the living room again!" Gavin whined before furrowing his eyebrows and forming a frown on his lips. "You should stop chasing poor Riley in when she's out basking in the garden!" he tsked, hands on his hips as he stared down at the two kids.

"But Vavvy!" Rachie chirped up, her light pink dress flowing gracefully as she bounced up and down. "Rwiley's fun to chase awound!" the seven year old puffed her cheeks and stared into her father's eyes.

"But Rachieee!" Gavin echoed back, mirroring his daughter's actions. "You should corner Riley in her dog house! That way, she won't escape!"

Almost immediately, said golden spaniel turned to his owner and gave a sharp bark; no longer caring about getting dirt on the wooden floor and proceeded to shake the dirt off before she took off into the garden again. Almost instantly, Rachie let out a noise of excitement before running after the family pet again, leaving Gavin and Graham in the messy living room.

"Do you want me to help, Vavvy?" Graham asked, a finger poked his lips in a quizzical manner as he tilted his head.

"No, no… it's fine, Crackers." The thirty-nine year old smirked before ruffling the boy's hair and shooing him out the room. "Go play with your sister. Just leave it to Vav, the greatest hero and dad on Earth, to clear this mess up!" Gavin struck a dramatic pose before giving a big grin.

"Stop calling me that! Just Graham! Graham! Not Crackers from Graham Crackers!" the eight year old repeated firmly.

"Oh, and Crackers~" Gavin sang out before skipping off to get the broom and dust pan. "Don't pull Riley's tail. She doesn't like that very much. I've tried it before and nasty ol' Riley bit me."

Rolling his eyes, his son nodded before entering the garden once again where Riley was trying to barricade herself in her dog house and Rachie was trying to haul her out by the collar.

"Rach and Crackers made a mess again, Michael." Gavin stated as he peeked into the recording room where the New Jerseyan had finished yelling his head off in his latest Rage Quit.

"Again?" he groans as he removed his headphones and chucks it on his desk. "I assume you're going to be a little fuck and try to force me to do the dirty work, right?"

"Hey, I did the cleaning last week! It's your turn!" Gavin huffed before shoving the cleaning materials into Michael's hands. "Chop, chop! Go!"

"Hey, hey, fuck you. I was the one that had to deal with all the washing up and shit, so I think you better stick with sweeping the fucking dirt of the floor."

"But Michaeeeel!"

"_But Michaeeeel!_ No! You do your own fucking work! I did my part on the washing up!"

Eventually, just somehow, Michael ended up scraping the dirt of the floor. He was reluctant of course, but he decided to get back at him for giving him the puppy dog eyes. After all, Michael realised it was his turn to make dinner. Well, well, soup would definitely be on the menu tonight, that's a must.

And what better way to enjoy your soup than by dunking bread in it?

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

"Of all the things, must we play Monopoly?"

Gavin moaned out as he scratched his beard in annoyance as Graham moved Gavin's piece to the Jail section of the board, with a sly smile on his face. It was basically the fourth time that the Brit has been to jail, either by rolling doubles three times or simply just landing on the 'Go to Jail' section.

"You're just annoyed that you got sent to jail plenty of time, Vav." The thirteen year old boy grinned as he moved back to his spot on the floor to roll the dice. "Besides, Dad's enjoying it. Right, Dad?"

"Heheh…" Michael smirked as he watched his son's piece move to his most expensive property. "Damn right I'm enjoying it. Pay up, my boy!" he heartily laughed as the boy's expression morphed into a scowl before pulling out the paper money and shoving it into his father's hands.

"Mmh…" Rachie hummed before she gingerly got up from her position on the floor. "I'm gonna get a glass of water. Don't let Daddy win, okay, Grammy?"

"Gotcha."

"Heh, it'll take a lot more than you and your sister to take down the almighty Mogar! Hurrah!" Michael cheered as he moved his piece across the board.

"And there your dad goes again, Crackers." Gavin rolled his eyes before jabbing a finger into his husband's shoulder. "He goes all loony when it comes to dominating players."

"I know. Dad's crazy sometimes."

"Yep."

"Like hell, I am! You're the one who gets all goofy and creating all those made-up words!"

"Language, Michael! And excuse you, they're real words! It's British words!"

"Yeah, like the word 'faff'. _Oh, lookit me! I'm faffin' around! Stop faffing around, Michael!_"

"_Micool-_"

"Daddy? Vavvy?" Rachie walked in with a rather fearful expression in her eyes. "Something's wrong with Riley."

"What?" Gavin dropped the argument before he turned to look at his daughter, his eyebrows knitted. "What's wrong with dear Riley?"

"She didn't notice me when I called her. She kept shaking too."

The silence that filled the living room was so still, that you could hear a pin drop and everyone could hear it. Graham was just staring blankly at his sister; the paper money in his hand falling out as he couldn't grasp properly on it. Gavin slowly got up before patting Rachie's head soothingly and walked into the kitchen.

And sure enough, Riley was tucked in the corner; quivering and shaking as Gavin got closer. Normally, the golden spaniel would lift her head and cock it if she heard anyone's presence, but this time, she continued to stay huddled in the crevice, not even responding when Gavin started fondling and scratching Riley's ears.

"Gav?" Michael's voice floated through the air with a hint of concern in his voice. "Is Riley okay?"

A pause.

"Michael…" he slowly turned to look at him with a look of sympathy.

"I think Riley's dying."

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

"So there's nothing we can do?"

The veterinarian shook her head before gently placing a hand on the dull fur coat of the golden spaniel. Riley laid upon the table without so much as a twitch, and it wasn't because of the fear. She wasn't scared when she was taken a trip to the vet, and would normally be still playful even if she went for check-ups and the usual shots. So for her to lie there quietly without any movement, it seemed very foreign to Michael and Gavin.

"Beside the fact that you can make it easier for her…" she gingerly pats the dog's head with a sad smile. "There's nothing you can do, I'm afraid."

With a hushed thank you and handing over a fifty dollar bill to the receptionist on their way out, they quietly got into the car; Gavin in the co-driver's seat with Riley on his lap and Michael taking the wheel; his knuckles turning pale as he clenched upon the steering wheel hard.

Silence.

"Riley's light is going out soon, huh?" Gavin mumbled out, eyes down casted as he petted and brushed the dull fur of the golden spaniel, who paid no mind to those movements.

"Yeah."

Another pause.

"How are we going to tell Rach and Graham?" Gavin finally said as he looked up at Michael, who had leaned back in his seat with a mix of frustration and anxiousness plastered on his face.

"I… I don't know."

Riley kept deathly quiet as they drove home.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

As much as they didn't want the end to come, everything and everyone dies eventually.

But even so, after that very appointment when they were told that the best they could do was to comfort the aging golden spaniel. So Gavin had willingly opted to keep the spaniel in the bedroom till the end. Much to Michael's displeasure, he would sometimes find his husband cooped up in the room fondling and patting Riley gingerly as he sat cross-legged on the bed sheets. Occasionally, the Brit would refuse to come out of the bedroom, to which Michael would have to reluctantly drag him out for him to at least eat something.

Despite all of Gavin's affection and attention to the spaniel, she was showing no signs of movements when she felt any flesh contact from the family of four. Gavin patiently fed and kept her hydrated, but it was after two months that she stopped and completely ignored those necessities. According to the vet, who Michael rang up as soon as Riley started rejecting her food and water, they shouldn't force her to eat or drink it anymore. She knew her time was near, so she knew that those necessities weren't needed anymore.

And so Gavin did as the vet said. He continued to care for her either way; from making sure she was never in solitude to fussing with her to even making small talk with her. There were times that Michael could hear Gavin quietly crying from the other side of the door because of Riley's condition, and that pained his heart a lot. Because of that, he kept Riley's situation a secret from the children; saying how Riley was just sick and Gavin was doing a fine job taking care of her.

It was all a lie, of course. But Michael didn't want to cause such sadness over the children until it was necessary.

Then, after a week of refusing food or water, Riley passed away.

It wasn't the kind of cliché in a movie where almost miraculously, the dog would have a spur of energy and start nuzzling the owner for the last time; looking into his or her eyes before dying peacefully. None of that happened; no, no.

It was more of a quick and painless death.

Gavin was having Riley nestled in his arms; rocking her back and forward before Riley felt like a dead weight and the breathing stopped. Almost immediately, Gavin's heart had plummet to his stomach before he desperately tried to find any signs of life, to no avail.

Michael woke up to Gavin silently sobbing as he clutched their deceased pet in his arms.

He was, as Gavin had been, shocked. But he didn't shed any tears, as much as his eyes were starting to water. He had to be strong, no matter what. He was the support for the family; always there for his husband and the children. He couldn't start crying as much as his heart was starting to hurt.

It was after he calmed Gavin down and coaxed him back to sleep for just a few hours before he lifted Riley out of the Brit's grasp, who had cried himself back to unconsciousness. With careful steps out of the room and down the stairs, he laid the golden spaniel under the tree, before heading to the shed to grab a shovel.

Even after he had buried Riley, he found himself lying beside the oak tree, unwilling to move.

'How am I supposed to break this fucking news to the children?' he thought, exasperatedly running his hand through the greying locks of russet hair. 'How the fuck am I going to do this without breaking their fucking hearts?!'

Graham found him in the morning; a cross on a shifted pile of dirt and his father, lying back on the tree with tear stains on his cheeks.

~x-x-x- A Man's Best Friend –x-x-x~

"Hey, Michael?"

The fifty-four year old man turned away from the sight of his son laughing away as he tried to chase his newly wedded wife around in the garden. He raised his eyebrows at the Brit before giving a nod of his head; a signal to go on.

"Do you still remember the day I found Riley?"

The New Jerseyan kept quiet as he mulled the thoughts in his mind. It's been nearly nine years since Riley had passed away, and Gavin hadn't brought up that topic on their precious golden spaniel until today. Hesitating with how he would continue the conversation, he turned away completely from the glass door to the garden and leaned upon the kitchen counter.

"Of course, dipshit." He muttered, glancing up to see if his husband would react wildly to that statement. "You were the one who insisted on keeping that pup here; and you weren't going to let the fella go anywhere else."

Gavin cracked a smile and let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah. But do you remember the memories we made together with Riley?"

A small pause hung through the air before a faint smile crept up Michael's lips.

"Yeah. I do."

"Hey, Dad!"

Gavin looked up from washing the dishes while Michael swiveled his chair as Graham entered through the glass door; a grin on his face and something nestled in his arms. His wife, Serena, stepped in with a rather nervous smile as she twirled the locks of blonde hair anxiously.

"I found this little guy out in the gutter." Graham says as he uncovers the little bit of jacket used as a blanket to show a small snout of a German Shepherd puppy that popped up. "You don't mind if we keep them, right?"

A wider smile crept up Michael's face as the familiar scene and déjà vu washed upon his entire being.

"Depends. If I say no, are you going to beg until I say yes?"


End file.
